GVI: Animal Care Volunteering

The most noteworthy aspect of my stay at the GVI Karongwe base was the amazing dedication of the staff to both the volunteers and to the mission of wildlife well being. The staff worked hard to ensure every volunteer felt they were part of the team. The staff also was very passionate about the wildlife we would see and the animals well being. Note, the staff members are going out to monitor the animals twice a day, 363 days a year. One might think they would get burnt out, but that was not the case. They even vacationed at Kruger National Park to observe more wildlife.
I have taken a number of trips overseas, usually to surf. This was easily the best trip and experience I have had.

Robert "Mike" Lewis

My trip to Thailand to work with elephants was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I learned so much about myself when I spent so much time around people with different social and cultural backgrounds, and living in a homestay with a Thai family made me learn so much more. I don't know if I would recommend this trip to anyone younger than 20 years old or so because you are extremely remote while in Huay Pakoot and more often than not you don't have access to internet/phone. I loved learning about elephants and experiencing them in a way that did not harm them and allowed them to go back to their natural habitat. The Mahouts were very helpful and shared their culture with us generously. I will always bring this experience with me and I thank GVI for putting together such an impactful program.

At the project we used to go on hikes with the elephants and taking notes of wich plants they eat and if they touch each other. Also we would take notes of any other animals we would encounter during the hike, from small insects to birds and snakes and even gibbons.
we would often hear the gibbons but it was very rare to see them.
On one of the hikes we were able to see a gibbon climbing in the trees, even if it was quite far away it was an amazing experience.